shirley sherrod is black and officials at the usda did ask her to resign after the video emerged. well, again, the associated press saying these new e il maile mails show the white house was involved. they deny this. questions to press secretary jay carney today. >> the time of the shirley sherrod case at the agriculture department, we were consistently told there was no white house involvement. now the ap through a foya request come up with e-mails that contradicts that. do you know where the disconnect was. >> the reporting by the associated press is inaccurate. he the e-mails confirm what we said at the time which is the white house had no involvement in the decision made regarding miss sherrod's employment, her firing. but were made aware of the decision that had been made by the department of agriculture. there is nothing in those e-mails. >> they were not in touch with the counsel at the agriculture department at the time. >> the issue is was the white house involved in the decision that was made and the white house was not. i was not in this position then but we made clear

but for someone like shirley sherrod, who suffered the way she did, none of us suffered the way shirleybreitbart's rath. for her to come with this grace and say no matter how he lived, i'm going to respect him and his family, that's a standard to which we can all subscribe. if you call yourself a liberal, then compassion ought to be your first name. >> and for me, i got to tell you, i know my kids aren't watching the show tonight. but i can't feed into the flow of information when there is surviving children out there. a whack at people at this point. >> even if he were single and childless, a human being passes, i'm going to react to them differently. he was an extraordinarily controversial and challenging person in many ways. what he added to public discourse was very dangerous. but he's dead now. so now we're going to lay down our swords. >> last word. >> i don't know it's it's dangerous. andrew breitbart said something to mthat i will repeat to the dying day. we need more voices, not fewer. >> that will be the last word. thank you both very much for joining me tonight.

. >> word that the white house had its hand on the controversial resignation of shirley sherrod. e-mails obtained indicate the white house officials were involved in having -- giving advice. a video surfaced making remarks that were taken out of context. it appeared to be racist, but they were not. it turned out the race was about risk it reconciliation. -- the video was about race reconciliation. >> 10 of the people were in jail at the time. the state's attorney general challenged the part in saying there was not adequate notice. the mississippi court ruled the governor a loan has the power to decide whether the requirement was met. >>the va has discovered an additional 100 to misplaced and 21 graves without markers. headstones were temporarily removed and not return to the grave site. still to come, we will look at why there is a small setback in the recovery of the job market. >> apple is facing a lawsuit over price fixing. >> the students are working to capture ugandan were lowered -- war lord. [ male announcer ] for the saver and a big first step. for the spender who needs a

and breitbart was also behind the controversial scandal of shirley sherrod.breitbart who posted portions of a speech she gave before the naacp. the online video was edited to appear as though sherrod was making racist statements. she was quickly fired, but when the entire story went public, it was clear she was making statement of racial allegations. sherrod said the news of mr. breitbart's death came as a surprise to me when i was informed tof it this morning. my prayers go out to his family as they cope through this very difficult time. >>> here is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. should employers be able to deny insurance coverage on moral or religious grounds? right now the senate is getting ready to vote on an amendment that would do just that. carol costello is here in the house in atl. >> the talk-back question. it's so nice to see you. >> the weather so much nicer here. >> let's talk about that administration. the senate is about to vote on the blunt amendment, have not heard of it? yes, you have. two words, birth control

when you get to shirley sherrod he made it seem as if she was a racist and that applied to how she worked at the federal government. she was fired. it's not his fault. i blamed the obama administration more. it was their decision to fire her because they were so scared of breitbart and glenn beck and what they were going to say which i find really, really sad. it is his responsibility that he put that stuff out there. when i asked him to apologize here, he said there was no way he would apologize. the fact that he got fired appeared to be immaterial to him. that was a callous disregard for people's lives in that one instance. you can say she's a government official, not a politician, a government official, so perhaps fair game. how about acorn? that really bothers me, because it's not -- you know what, before we get a acorn i want to give you a sense of how andrew thought it was a game. he was on the show to talk about how he had gone after the occupy movement, they were in d.c. at the time. you remember he shouted this at them. >> behave yourselves! behave yourself! uretericking animals.

a lot of people are talking about the shirley sherrod incident and how he handled that. do you think he ever rethought his tactics on that issue? >>. >> i'm going to do ann drew breitbart and ask if cnn has rethought its tactics on the issue. cnn brought shirley sherrod on the wake of what happened and invited her to stay whether she wanted to shut his website down and what she wanted to do to get back at him and andrew used to joke that if he had a life story, he would call it the anderson cooper story because he felt like anderson cooper set up a narrative about the shirley sherrod story completely opposite of what had he done. >> well, unfortunately, andrew is not here to talk about this. how did he see himself? >> andrew saw himself as a happy warrior, a guy that was mostly happy-go-lucky, who loved southern california even though he was conservative in a liberal community. he was rightly indignant. he got angry when he felt that people were being drowned out or victimized by the mainstream media and felt a passion for standing up for them. there was no story too sma

the and think weiner scandal and those pictures, already shirley sherrod and what led to her losing herot to know him first off through the a.c.o.r.n. story that broke, right? >> yeah. it was actually a great teaching experience for conservative activists who for years wanted to be pundits. andrew was the vanguard for saying no, no be journalists. he used this as a lesson. james o'keefe went undercover, released some edited videos, making claims about a.c.o.r.n. that the organization denied. they said the video were edited. so they released the unedited video which didn't change the story, then a.c.o.r.n. changed their story again and released additional videos backing down on that a.c.o.r.n. defense. the drip drip drip. he became a real master at dribbling out stories, letting his opponents change their story and adding to the story in a way that their denial of the story had no merit. it was fascinating to watch. it got to the point where people andrew breitbart went after would typically be very, very quiet for a while, waiting to see what else he had. >> the shirley sherrod story. h

. >> reporter: one prominent breitbart target, agriculture department employee shirley sherrod, fired unfairly after breitbart posted edited video, making it appear she had opposed aiding a white farmer. in fact, she was using the incident as a lesson in racial healing. >> they called me a racist, of all people. they called me a racist. >> reporter: today, sherrod said her prayers go out to the breitbart family. three years ago, breitbart helped expose community activists in a.c.o.r.n. by posting undercover videos staged by other conservative activists. andrew breitbart was passionate, fearless and controversial to the end. at the young age of only 43, he leaves a wife and four children. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> still ahead here tonight as we continue, the new rules from google that some are saying is an invasion of privacy. tonight, what they can do to foote how to say "no." >>> and later, further proof that the worst of times brings out the best in people. neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers, all of them making a difference. p >>> today is a bi

under fire in 2010 for sectively editing video that incorrectly portrayed a governmenter worker shirley sherrod as racist. he leaves behind a wife and four children. he was 43. >>> still ahead on a special edition of "way too early," president obama sit downs with the sports guy, bill simmons of espn, getting on the record about bowls, lin sanity and how tough it is to throw out a first pitch in a flak jacket. that's ahead in sports. >>> the story of this school and the people making it work. there's a superintendent in this district who's not shy about upsetting the apple card about tough talk about the way things work in education and what needs to change. meet him and get a check on weather when "way too early" comes right back. >> he shoots, no good. the rebound looking. back to shame berlin. he shoots, in and out. the rebound. in to chamber. he made it! he made it! a dunk, he made it! the fans are all over the floor. they stopped the game. people are running out on the court. 100 points for wilt chamberlain. [ male announcer ] there's been a lot of talk about the chevy volt lately. how abo

heavily edited and misleading video that led to the firing of agriculture department employee shirley sherrod who was offered her job back when it became clear the video was taken completely out of context. breitbart leaves behind a wife and four children. he was 43 years old. >>> google is getting more personal. the internet company rolled out a new policy today allowing them to dig even more deeply into the lives of more than 1 billion users. google says it will help create search results that are more tailored and helpful because the results will be based on a person's search history. but critics fear the company's trampling on privacy rights to try and sell more advertising. >> that is the way it seems but it's confusing. i guess there are ways, things we can do to control how much google snoops on us. >> let's hope. we'll have to ask our children. >> we have to figure it out first. >>> what a spectacular day outside today. >> i mean just amazing. 70 degrees the first day of march. the warmest day since the first day of february. >> this would be -- >> 72 on the first day of february. 70

house was involved in the agriculture department decision to seek the resignation in 2010 of shirley sherrod. in 2000 pages of e-mail, it's shown white house officials were trying to oust her, showing advice and counseling to officials who assert they alone made the final decisions. the speech was taken out of context by conservative website. she was offered her old job back but declined. president obama did apologize to her after the fire storm. >> one officer is bewildered he's been late to an investigation of an accused multimillion-dollar madam. the sergeant has no involvement with the madam, he says, and prosecutors say she was heard saying she made millions of dollars over 15 years running a manhattan prostitution ring. she claimed to have law enforcement connections. format is coming forward saying she's been bringing women in from overseas. >> that means you've got somebody tipping you off and it means you are delusional because this is not a profession. it's quick money, get in and get out. dutch girls and london girls come for a month and work and go back home. she was known for ha

activist group acorn and behind investigations that led to controversial firing of usda official shirley sherrod the resignation of anthony weiner. anthony weiner came to his own defense minutes after the congressman admits he was the one who had not told the truth. >> everything i said so far has come to be true. the media says breitbart lies, breitbart lies, breitbart lies, breitbart lies. give me one example of a provable lie. one. one. journalists, one. put your reputation on the line here. one provable lie. >> breitbart helped change the way we know social media and the news. websites he either started or ran until his death reach about 20 million different people every day. site like big government and breitbart.tv. he also helped start the huffington post before it turned hard left. and was known for the long-time work on the drudge report. matt drudge has this state in the part at the top of that popular site. "we shared a love of headlines, a love of the news. excitement about what is happening. i don't think there was a single day during that time when we did not laugh with each other

sporter of the controversial investigations that led to the resignations of anthony weiner and shirley sherrodack president obama's birth control coverage policy. missouri republicans bill would allow ensurers and employers to opt-out funding contraceptive coverage if they object on moral or religious reasons. democrats call this language hidden in a transportation bill an attempt to reduce women's access to health care. the votes have not been assured. some republicans in this election year say it goes too far. >>> 6:53. recapping: redwood city elementary school employee is about to go to court on charges of abusing two students. six of her co-workers will be disciplined for what they did not do. >> terry mcsweeney is live at roosevelt elementary to explain. >> reporter: what they didn't do was report the abuse that according to the district they knew about and didn't do anything. apparently they are not going be facing any legal charges. take a look at one of the children this is a 5-year-old autistic child he and a 4-year-old were enveloped in a program at roosevelt elementary and this is w

he was heavily criticized for posting an incomplete video of shirley sherrod, which appeared to showg against a white farmer. she was forced to resign before the truth came out that the video was edited and actually helped the farmer. breitbart appeared on piers morgan tonight only hours before his death. the website says his death was from natural causes. the l.a. coroner's office says an alpsy is planned for tomorrow. >>> let's talk about this and a lot more with two cnn contributors. 6 first your reaction. >> it was shocking. i knew andrew before he was andrew, if you know what i mean. he is relentlessly curious, charming, jolly, and it was comforting to hear rush talk about him today, how kind and thoughtful he was. these are not the caricature that's been made of him in his political life. but the shock of his premature death is balanced by his belying the notion that we only live a fraction of our lives. he was a kacarpe diemguy, and i hope his wife and four children are confidented by however much he accomplished in his political life, they were his real life. >> i know you we

shirley sherrod was the georgia state director of rural development fired in 2010.onservative blogger andrew breitbart released video of what were thoughts to be of her making racial statements of white farmer. she was offered her job back when the entire video was released offering to help the worker. there is documents it claims that the white house approved the decision to fire sherrod but claimed at the time it had no role in the matter. >> this was as you heard yesterday, the decision that was made by the u.s. department of agriculture. >> so did he or anyone at the white house direct that she be fired? >> not to my knowledge. no. >> judicial watch maintains the documents show the white house cabinet communication director tam gavin oversaw the writing and sought legal approval of the usda announcement of her firing. quoting now "white house officials played a key role in the decision to force sherrod's resignation and then mislead the american people about that role." a white house source tells fox news the documents confirm the white house position all along.

he made high profile mistakes, the shirley sherrod thing being the most glaring.nk when you live on the edge, it's not conventional journalism and is something that would wind people up. "the washington post" did a line today which i quite liked saying that breitbart's lesson was if you're not making the left mad, you're not making a difference. i think he felt that there was a kind of progressiveness through the kind of attack journalism that he did online. you know, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. he made a lot of enemies. i read a quote from him himself which i thought summed him up. he said i love my job and fighting for what i believe in and having fun while doing it. i love reporting stories that are complex to report. i love fighting back, finding allies and enjoy making enemies. there's been a big fury today with some people reminding those paying tribute to him that when teddy kennedy died, he was the fir firstors publicly berate him. i don't think he would himself expect to be received like a saint today. but the fact that he died at 43, he's a father o

came under heavy criticism after releasing this video of the agriculture department official shirley sherrod. the clip made it look like she was making a racist comment and it cost sherrod her job. but the unedited version showed it was part of a larger speech about racial healing. >> he hasn't apologized. i don't want at this point. >> breitbart made headlines again last year releasing lewd photographs of married new york congressman anthony weiner. photographs he allegedly sent to a woman over twitter. as congressman weiner was about to address reporters on the matter. breitbart stepped to the podium instead. >> i'm doing this to save his family, okay? if this guy wants to start fighting with me again, i have this photo. >> shepard: congressman weiner resigned soon after. even with all the attention from the press, andrew breitbart made it clear he was still on the offensive. >> look mainstream media the gig suspect. we have figured you out. you are not on our team. you are not on the american team. you are on the progressive team. [cheers] >> we tried to play nice with you and nice is ove

to the resignations of former congress member anthony weiner and former agriculture official shirley sherrod. brietbart's fans say they'll remember him for exposing government corruption and bias in the media. >>> the u.s. senate voted to keep a controversial obama administration birth control rule in place. this requires health insurers to cover contraception for employees of some religious institutions. the rule is part of president obama's healthcare plan. republicans in congress and catholic church leaders wanted to cancel out of that rule and argued it was a question protecting religious freedom for their institutions. well, today's vote was 51-48 expectedly close. we will take a closer look at these developments on the birth control issue and insurance coverage at 6:00 on 9 news now. >>> a measure to let home schooled kids in virginia play high school sports is dead. a state senate committee rejected the so-called tim tebow bill. it is named after the famed broncos quarterback who was home schooled but played at a florida high school. supporters of the measure say parents of home schoo

. >> ed: edited video for shirley sherrod when it looked like she was making a racist statement. he didn't apologize for that. >> he had a lot of detractors and supporters. he had 73,000 twitter followsers. the size of a small city but a lot of them didn't like him even media matters, a liberal watchdog group came out and said we praise his passion and his commitment to his craft. >> so an influential if devices figure in this world. >> when senator kennedy died just hours after that he was writing some pretty harsh things about him. >> today there were two, michigan and arizona. and one very interesting event of the week happened in michigan. it was mitt romney a mitt romney event at ford field. howie, tell us about that. >> this was billed as a major economic speech by romney's campaign and yet it became about one thing-- the setting and the horrible optics and the reporters there, "washington post" journalist phillip rutger is an example. he used his twitter account to send out a picture of ford field and, of course, the event had been moved there and he wrote "i'm not sure th

after the shirley sherrod incident where she was fired.le thought she made racist remarks and she clarified those remarks. there should be a conversation. he seems reluctant to lead it himself. >> i don't necessarily hear the reluctance. because he's the president, we've heard this man talk frontally about race more than any other person who has sat in that office. there's this expectation there's going to be a national conversation about race. everyone's going to sit down on tuesday afternoon and everyone's going to talk about this all at the same time. i think one of the more interesting things he said about race was when he spoke to the urban league. he said the most productive conversations about race are usually the ones you don't hear unless you're party to them. they don't take place on grand national stages. they take place in church basements and in locker rooms and in private spaces and barbershops. is the president the person who should lead that conversation? i think what we heard from him is calling on people to engage in the

but breitbart was forced to either apologize or acknowledge his error, i think after shirley sherrodscharacterized by breitbart. she was the former agriculture official, who was mischaracterized and lost her job over that. >> right. well, you mentioned to me the two emblemattic moments of breitbart's journalistic career, one a high point, the other a low point. the clip at the news conference, this classic breitbart moment, hijacking the occasion, he said he came to be vindicated on that story. he was vindicated. his site drove that story, the exposure of congressman weiner, but you can see all the characteristic elements of breitbart's personality in that clip. the sort of -- the boasting -- >> scrappy. >> the self-justification, the self-congratulation, the self-promotion. they're all right there, and they give your viewers, i think, a nice glimpse of sort of why he was successful at putting himself right in the middle of the conversation. >> and mitt romney has just tweeted, as we see the pictures of andrew breitbart, romney on twitter, "ann and i are deeply saddened by the passin